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A lap of honour for Quentin Gilbert

 Certain to finish first in this season's FIA Junior WRC, Quentin Gilbert will be competing against six rivals at RallyRACC Catalunya - Costa Daurada.

- The sixth round is a special event for the DS 3 R3-MAXs since it is the only mixed-surface rally of the season.

- Ole Christian Veiby, Simone Tempestini and Terry Folb will all be aiming to grab the runner-up spot on the Spanish gravel and tarmac.

- Citroën Racing will remain the FIA Junior WRC operator and official supplier of the DS 3 R3-MAXs for the 2016 season.

Designed to enable talented young drivers to progress and acquire experience in the World Rally Championship, the FIA Junior WRC heads to Spain for something of a special event. After tackling Monte-Carlo partly on snow, rallies in Portugal, Poland and Finland on gravel and the Tour de Corse on tarmac, the DS 3 R3-MAXs arrive in Catalonia for the only mixed-surface round of the season.

Following a super special stage held on tarmac in the streets of Barcelona on Thursday evening, the crews will complete 128 kilometres of timed stages on gravel during Friday's opening leg. Each team will then have a 1 hr 15 min service break to adapt the set-up of the DS 3 R3-MAXs for the rest of the rally, which will be held exclusively on tarmac. The seven crews will cover a further 200 kilometres before the final outcome is decided.

Winner on four occasions already this season, Quentin Gilbert holds a 54-point lead over his nearest challenger. The Frenchman can no longer be caught at the top of the FIA Junior WRC standings. He is therefore certain to succeed Stéphane Lefebvre as JWRC champion, joining former winners Sébastien Loeb, Dani Sordo, Sébastien Ogier, Martin Prokop and Elfyn Evans, who have all reached the sport's elite.

Although the pressure is off Quentin Gilbert, the same cannot be said of his rivals because the six other competitors all still have a chance of securing the final runner-spot.

With two podium-finishes in Monte-Carlo and Finland, the Norwegian Ole Christian Veiby is currently the best-placed driver. He will be up against the Italian Simone Tempestini - winner in Poland - who is only five points behind him with two rallies left to go.

And whereas he struggled to turn his performances into results at the start of the year, Terry Folb scored thirty points in Finland and Corsica. This large haul (only Quentin Gilbert scored more points) has put him right back in contention for a final podium spot.

The Swiss Federico Della Casa, the Frenchman Pierre-Louis Loubet - the youngest competitor at just 18 years old - and the Emirati Mohammed Al Mutawaa will also have a fine opportunity to show what they can do on an unusual course.

In the Nations Trophy, if Quentin Gilbert, Terry Folb or Pierre-Louis Loubet finish in the points, the title will be secured by France. Only Norway, represented by Ole Christian Veiby, can prevent France from successfully defending its crown.

Following the Spanish round, the season is due to conclude in Wales. Citroën Racing will remain the FIA Junior WRC operator and official supplier of the DS 3 R3-MAXs in 2016. The agreement between FIA and Citroën Racing for the organisation and promotion of the championship dedicated to the rising stars of world rallying is set to continue for a third season running.

QUOTE, UNQUOTE

Marek Nawarecki (Customer Racing Manager at Citroën Racing): "Citroën Racing has been the operator and official supplier to the FIA Junior WRC for the last two seasons. The purpose of this formula is to support and encourage the emergence of new talents. We take great care to ensure that there are variety of surfaces when drawing up the calendar. These demanding rallies give the most talented drivers the chance to show what they can do and give all the competitors the opportunity to acquire experience. We also endeavour to provide a reliable and fast car, which is one of the leading products in the WRC3 and two-wheel drive categories. Our DS 3 R3-MAX also lets the drivers learn about feeling in the car and work on a wide range of set-up options, which can prove very useful at the highest levels. The international dimension taken by the FIA Junior WRC is important in our opinion. In the space of two years, we have had drivers from sixteen different countries, spread across three continents. Next season, the format will remain identical to the one used in 2014 and 2015 to keep costs under control and the winner will once again earn a six-rally WRC2 programme in 2017."

Quentin Gilbert: "We started off our season by adopting a really disciplined approach. The whole team deserves this title. The mechanics, the engineers and all the people involved in the programme have done a fantastic job. Our discipline and attention to detail have enabled us to record some very good results. I have matured this year and have learned how to manage my races. I am therefore really proud of our success, with four wins in five starts and securing the title before the final round. We're not going to let up in Spain. The aim is still to win overall but without necessarily trying to win all the stages."

THE SEVEN CREWS ENTERED

52 - Simone Tempestini (ITA) / Matteo Chiarcossi (ROU)
Date of birth: 12 August 1994
Team: Napoca Rally Team / Keane Motorsport
2015 results: Monte-Carlo, 4th - Portugal, 6th - Poland, 1st - Finland, 9th.

53 - Ole Christian Veiby (NOR) / Anders Jaeger (NOR)
Date of birth: 17 June 1996
Team: Printsport
2015 results: Monte-Carlo, 3rd - Portugal, 5th - Finland, 3rd - France, 4th.

55 - Mohammed Al Mutawaa (ARE) / Stephen McAuley (GBR)
Date of birth: 2 December 1992
Team: Abu Dhabi Racing
2015 results: Portugal, retired - Portugal, 6th - Finland, 6th - France, retired.

58 - Terry Folb (FRA) / Franck Le Floch (FRA)
Date of birth: 26 May 1990
Team: Daumas Racing / Allsports Management
2015 results: Monte-Carlo, retired - Portugal, retired - Finland, 4th - France, retired.

60 - Quentin Gilbert (FRA) / Renaud Jamoul (BEL)
Date of birth: 29 May 1989
Team: DG Sport
2015 results: Monte-Carlo, 1st - Portugal, 1st - Poland, 7th - Finland - 1st. France, 1st.

63 - Federico Della Casa (CHE) / Domenico Pozzi (ITA)
Date of birth: 11 July 1991
Team: Delta Rally
2015 results: Portugal, 7th - Poland, 5th - Finland, 8th - France, retired.

65 - Pierre-Louis Loubet (FRA) / Vincent Landais (FRA)
Date of birth: 18 February 1997
Team: PH Sport
2015 results: Portugal, 2nd - Poland, missed - Finland, retired - France, retired.

FIA JUNIOR WRC STANDINGS

1. Quentin Gilbert 106 points
2. Ole Christian Veiby 52 points
3. Henri Haapamaki 48 points
4. Simone Tempestini 47 points
5. Jean-René Perry 32 points
6. Terry Folb 30 points
7. Yohan Rossel 25 points
8. Federico Della Casa 20 points
9. Christian Riedemann, Osian Pryce and Pierre-Louis Loubet 18 points
12. Mohammed Al Mutawaa 16 points
13. Matthieu Margaillan 12 points
14. Alessandro Re and Kornel Lukacs 8 points
16. Jari Huutunen 6 points
17. Charlotte Dalmasso 5 points
18. Daniel McKenna 4 points

NATIONS TROPHY

France 112 points
Norway 63 points
Italy 57 points
Finland 51 points
Switzerland 30 points
United Arab Emirates 20 points
United Kingdom and Germany 18 points
Hungary 16 points
Ireland 8 points

2015 CALENDAR

22-25 January Rallye Monte-Carlo
21-24 May Rally de Portugal
2-7 July Rally Poland
30 July - 2 August Rally Finland
1-4 October Rallye de France
22-25 October Rally de España
12-15 November Wales GB Rally